Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Fairgrove, Michigan

Village of Fairgrove’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Permanent dwellings built inside Fairgrove village that are preceded by a temporary dwelling.

  • Quoted as a condition of temporary dwelling permits; the general building-permit issuer and fee were not located.
  • Construction may proceed only after the permit is issued.

  “1. a building permit for the permanent dwelling must be acquired before the temporary dwelling is placed on the premises or occupied.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Relocated buildings and manufactured homes moved into Fairgrove village (section 13.14).

  • Applicant pays the registered building inspector for required inspections.
  • Does not establish a general inspection requirement for new construction.

  “d. the applicant shall be responsible for compensating the registered building inspector for all required inspections.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Fairgrove village limits (Village of Fairgrove, Tuscola County, MI), regulated by the village's own Zoning Ordinance No. 100.

  • Only the 2016 copy (Ordinance No. 100, 2016 version) posted from the village site was read; amendments after 2016 were not located.
  • Village ordinance section 11.01 says all lots and structures must comply with the area, setback, and height requirements of section 11.02.
  • The copy's lot-of-record definition names the Tuscola County register of deeds, which matches the village's county.
  • Township or county zoning does not apply inside village limits as a substitute for this ordinance.

  “a. all lots and structures shall comply with the area, setback, and height requirements of section 11.02”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in the R district inside Fairgrove village.

  • Section 13.05 requires each single-family or two-family dwelling to contain the minimum square feet in section 11.02, and to be at least 24 ft wide in all directions (13.05 b, from the 2016 copy).
  • Floor area excludes basements, utility rooms, breezeways, porches, and attached garages (footnote 5).
  • Temporary dwellings under section 13.09 are exempt from section 13.05.

  minimum floor area per dwelling unit: >= 960 sq ft (excludes basements, utility rooms, breezeways, porches, attached garages (footnote 5))

  “5) the minimum floor area per dwelling unit shall not include areas of basements, utility rooms, breezeways, porches, or attached garages.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwellings in the AR (agricultural and residential) district inside Fairgrove village.

    “5) the minimum floor area per dwelling unit shall not include areas of basements, utility rooms, breezeways, porches, or attached garages.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family residential (R) district inside Fairgrove village.

  • Lot area is 10,000 sq. ft. per table, with footnote 3: one acre if the parcel is not served by a central sewer system.
  • Lot width is 75 ft per table reading of the section 11.02 row order (AR, R, RM, MHP).

  minimum lot area (central sewer): 10000 sq ft (parcel served by central sewer system) · minimum lot area (no central sewer): 1 acre (parcel not served by a central sewer system (footnote 3)) · minimum lot width: 75 ft

  “3) one acre if not served by a central sewer system.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural and residential (AR) district inside Fairgrove village.

    “1 acre 10,000 sq. ft. (3) 1 acre (8) (4) 150 75 150 300”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family residential (R) district inside Fairgrove village.

  • Front setback is measured from the center of the road (table footnote 2).
  • Table footnote 9 applies to front setbacks but its text was not captured; it may add an exception.

  minimum front yard setback: 50 ft (measured from center of road (footnote 2)) · minimum side yard setback: 10 ft · minimum rear yard setback: 10 ft

  “1 acre 10,000 sq. ft. (3) 1 acre (8) (4) 150 75 150 300 80 50 100 100 20 10 20 20 30 10 25 25”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural and residential (AR) district inside Fairgrove village.

    “1 acre 10,000 sq. ft. (3) 1 acre (8) (4) 150 75 150 300 80 50 100 100 20 10 20 20 30 10 25 25”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in the AR (agricultural and residential) district inside Fairgrove village.

  • Table footnote 7: up to one hundred (100) feet for agricultural structures.

  maximum building height (dwellings and general structures): <= 35 ft (agricultural structures up to 100 ft (footnote 7))

  “7) up to one hundred (100) feet for agricultural structures.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Structures in the R (single-family residential) district inside Fairgrove village.

    “maximum building height (in feet) 35 (7) 35 35 35”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles parked or stored on a parcel inside Fairgrove village.

  • Covers motor homes, camping trailers, pickup campers, camping vans, buses, cargo trailers, and other units designed or used for human occupancy (section 13.15 a).
  • Vehicles must be currently licensed.
  • Does not address overnight occupancy of an RV on a vacant parcel; no such rule was found.

  maximum recreational vehicles per parcel: <= 2 count (parcel must contain an occupied single-family dwelling)

  “b. recreational vehicles (not including mobile homes) may be parked or stored on property containing an occupied single-family dwelling, provided that the number is limited to not more than two (2) recreational vehicles. all such recreational vehicles shall be currently licensed.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes used as single-family dwellings and temporary manufactured homes inside Fairgrove village.

  • Single-family dwellings must meet section 13.05 standards, including foundation support.
  • Temporary manufactured homes need a zoning administrator permit for up to one year while a permanent dwelling is built; a building permit for the permanent dwelling is required first; a bond is required for removal.
  • Manufactured housing parks are regulated by the Michigan Manufactured Housing Commission and require a 10-acre minimum site.

  temporary occupancy permit term: <= 1 year (may be renewed one time for up to one additional year)

  “a. the zoning administrator may issue a permit for a temporary manufactured home or other structure to be occupied for up to one (1) year during the time that a pel11lanent dwelling is being constructed.”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Garages, barns, pole barns, accessory buildings, and basements inside Fairgrove village used as dwellings.

  • Exception: the zoning administrator may grant temporary occupancy under section 13.09 (one year, renewable once).

  “garages, barns, pole barns, accessory buildings, and basements shall not be occupied as dwellings. however, the zoning administrator may grant temporary occupancy pursuant to section 13.09.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Fairgrove or Tuscola County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Fairgrove village.
• Building code adopted — Construction codes applied to new construction inside Fairgrove village.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new homes inside Fairgrove village.
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage for land inside Fairgrove village.
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes used as dwellings inside Fairgrove village.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.